TV News

'Up All Night' Shakeup 'A Bit of An Experiment,' Says NBC Boss

By:
Jean Bentley

Jan 06, 2013 | 9:13am EST

NBC's Thursday night comedy Up All Night is undergoing a complete overhaul before returning to the air in 2013, and now there's more bad news: Creator Emily Spivey is leaving the series. Given the fact that it's changed producers multiple times and is now switching formats from single camera to multi-cam, why keep tinkering with the formula instead of canceling it altogether?

"There’s a lot of thought that went into all of that and conversations with all the talent involved," NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke tells reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. "That was a show that wasn’t performing the way we needed it to. We are not fools. We know that that talented cast of actors, they’re not growing on trees. They still felt like there were stories to tell in that world and were collectively really passionate about continuing to tell them."

Because NBC wanted to keep the cast in tact — and because the cast themselves were still passionate about the show — the network tried to find a way to keep the show running. "We started looking at the show and thinking what was the best format for it given that [the cast] felt a little tied down by the format they were in and the creative direction of the show," Salke says.

She continues: "Yes, it’s a bit of an experiment — they would all tell you that as well — but we think it’s really one worth taking because we’re all really excited about what they’re talking about and how passionate they are about the changes."